Gracefully Aging, Day 3: What about cosmetic surgery?

photo credit

A few years ago, actress Jamie Lee Curtis told USA Today, "This obsession with plastic surgery is an epidemic. It's lunacy! These women have had their faces rebuilt and they look terrible. It's going to backfire at some point; sadly, somebody famous and young is going to have to die on the table."

Well, guess what, Jamie? Even that won't stop the lunacy. In a society where what you look like on the outside is of paramount importance, people--especially women--will continue to pursue that image of perfection, whether it be through plastic surgery or extreme diets.

I don't have a problem with people fixing something that really needs to be fixed.  Myself? I' seriously doubt I'll ever be going under the knife. First, because I can't see ever being able to afford it. And second, because I'm not convinced it makes people look better!

There are options that are less drastic than surgery these days as well.  If that's your cup of tea, go for it.

But I have to sound a cautionary note.

Many of the celebrities I've seen that have undergone cosmetic surgery have ended up looking much worse...in my humble opinion--than they would if they had simply allowed nature to take its course.

There's an odd cat-like look that seems to be common.  High, puffy cheeks and small, slanted eyes.  Fish-like lips. The late Farrah Fawcett used to have such a pretty mouth, but in my opinion she ruined it with whatever "enhancement" she subjected it to.  Meanwhile, her mother died a beautiful old lady, with no obvious signs of surgery.

Out of control?

Yes, I do believe the plastic surgery craze is getting out of control. It started in Hollywood and it's spreading across the nation, aided and abetted by cosmetic surgery reality TV shows and enhancement-happy celebrities. One of the most disturbing trends is young girls hopping on the plastic surgery bandwagon; teen-agers getting breast implants, etc.

It might be a good idea to do a follow-up on some of these people and see if altering their appearance was the ultimate antidote they thought it was going to be. Hmm, makes me think of a thought from the Bible: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."

Sure, I get frustrated when I see signs of encroaching age. But then I think about my mother, who I've mentioned earlier in this series.  She passed away suddenly last November at the age of 80.

 I wrote these words in a tribute to her several years ago: "She has sparkling green eyes; a lovely full,expressive mouth...a dazzling smile. The years have been kind to her, and she is a prime example of how decades of righteous living can influence a woman's face...Years dedicated to God's service and unselfish love for her husband and children. She has the sort of radiant, luminous, from-the-inside beauty that defies age."

That kind of beauty--the beauty of a pure mind, a loving heart and a God-focused soul--is the kind of beauty to which I aspire. And that kind of beauty cannot be touched by age.

I'm participating in "31 Days: A Writing Challenge,"  in which I 'll be blogging on the subject of Gracefully Aging every day during the month of October.  Click the button below for more information and links to each post as they become available!